Bath House of Spirits
by DarrkKatt
Summary: YYHSpirited Away crossover. Dedicated to Tig. Alright people, I'd like reviews if at all possible. If you like Spirited Away, this is some backstory about Yubaba and the BathHouse. This all happens before Chihiro comes. R&R! NEW CHAP
1. Mission: Inconceivable

Hello people. This is DarrkKatt, and I know what a majority of you are thinking. Why hasn't this woman updated Ice Meets Wind, Ghost and Shadow and HellBus? Well, I have worked on them, but simply wanted this story up as soon as possible. Please forgive me, you faithful fans (you know who you are!). Also, please check out my new C2, Crossovers That Rock My Socks. Now, enjoy the wonder that is Bath House of Spirits!

Chapter 1- Mission: Inconceivable

Kurama walked into Koenma's office in Spirit World thoroughly confused and curious. He had been called out of school by Botan who had said that it was vital to arrive immediately. So, here he was. Right outside of Koenma's door, wondering what the hell was going on. Slowly, Kurama pushed open the door and got the shock of his life.

Koenma was in his teenager form, standing on top of his desk with a microphone in hand. As Kurama opened the door, George the Ogre ran up and gave Kurama a small tape recorder. George motioned for Kurama to play it, and, as Kurama did, Koenma began to sing the Mission: Impossible theme into the microphone extraordinary off-key.

"Dun-dun...Da-da-da-dun dun..." sang Koenma as his normal voice played through the tape Kurama was holding. "Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to sneak into the Bath House of Spirits run by the evil witch Yubaba. When you enter, take her magical generator-thingy that I have no idea what it looks like so don't ask me and then get out of there in prompt order. Also..."

Kurama had had enough. He flung the tape recorder at Koenma's head and covered his ears with both hands to drown out the noise.

"Ow! Why'd you do that?" Koenma had popped back into toddler form when the tape player made contact with his skull. At the moment, he was having a temper-tantrum. "Why?! WHY?!? WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN?! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

"George, would you be so kind as to hand me the file on this mission? It's on his desk, I can see it from here. "Kurama had tried to ask George gently, but it came out in bellow over the wails of Koenma. Quickly, George ran over to the desk and plucked a very thin folder from amongst the paper piles. Running back before Koenma could beat him with a giant mallet from no-where, George gave the file to Kurama. "Thank you."

Kurama opened the file and saw, to his utmost annoyance, that there was very little known about this 'Bath House of Spirits'. All that was in the folder, in actuality, was a map on how to get there and some vague info on Yubaba's conducts in the Spirit and Human Worlds; there was also a mission summary, but that is included in every file.

"Not much here, but it can be done. Have a nice day, George. I'll pick up the car when I get to the Human World."

Kurama quickly left the office, leaving George alone to take care of a very temperamental toddler.

* * *

Stepping out of the car he had borrowed from Spirit World Humanistic Interests., Kurama gazed at the tunnel in front of him. It was pitch-black from the opening to where ever it ended on the other side. Sighing, Kurama pulled the car into a patch of trees to his immediate right. Sending out his spirit energy to make the trees cover the car, he reassured himself that if any person were to come up here (highly unlikely, considering this was an overgrown road that lead almost to no-where. But there were some stupid people out there) they would not see the car and go looking in places they shouldn't.

The grass outside the tunnel was neatly clipped, almost as though someone had just run a lawn mower over it. It gave the eerie impression that someone was keeping everything in living-condition order in an uninhabitable area. Shaking his head to prevent himself from concentrating on something so trivial, Kurama concentrated on making the grass around him grow back to the over-grown state. In what seemed like no time at all, the grass and trees in the area covered up the tunnel from view. Kurama slipped through a small gap in the trees and then proceeded into the dark depths of the tunnel.

Kurama walked for about half a mile in the dark tunnel until he emerged into what appeared to be an abandoned train station. Leaning on one of the old wood benches for a moment to gather his thoughts, Kurama sensed the familiar rumbling of a train pulling into the station. Looking around, he saw no such train, yet the sense remained. As he was looking, he caught sight of a gleam of light from a door he had not noticed before. Watching in wonder as the light flooding out of the door seemed to ripple like water, Kurama walked slowly over to the doorway.

Outside of this door, instead of a sea, was a large and very hilly field. 'This looks about right. At least, according to the map it does,' Kurama thought as headed into the grassy expanse. every so often he would check the compass on his watch and the map given to him to make sure he was going in the right direction, and then continue on. Just as the sun was about to begin setting, he arrived at a small dried-up creek of stones. Nimbly jumping across them, Kurama found himself at a tall stone staircase leading up to a number of booths like the kind at a theme park.

As he looked at these booths, Kurama was shocked to see steam and smoke issuing from a great number of them. Hoping that this was not a sign he was about to get caught, Kurama slowly proceeded up the stairs, ready to jump at a moment's notice behind one of the stone frogs lining the stairs. When no one came down the steps when Kurama was halfway up, he sprinted up the final portion and ducked behind a nearby booth. It took a moment for him to realize his error: this was one of the booths issuing steam. Cursing himself for being careless, he made a move to get up. However, a large chopping sound from above caused him to freeze in a mid-standing position.

'Dammit! I'm stuck here.' Kurama thought to himself as he slid back into a sitting position. 'Might as well finish reading the mission overview while I'm here.' It was unlike Kurama to leave Spirit World without finishing the mission summary, but Koenma had been driving him insane so Kurama left in a hurry. That, and on top of the issues with getting the car and figuring put how to get to this place, all meant that Kurama had no idea what the hell he was doing.

Swiftly pulling the folder out of his coat, Kurama flipped it open to the mission overview section and began to read. The mission, it turned out, had three major points to it: 1) take the generator thingy once you find out what it is; 2) find out exactly what the frogs and slugs were in their previous states; 3) find out what she Yubaba uses to control her slaves. There was a lot more of random chatter, but it was just Koenma imitating even more of the Mission: Impossible theme. Apparently, Koenma had seen both movies before calling Kurama in and had gotten it in his head that he was giving directions to Tom Cruise. 'From this point on, he is not coming near my DVD collection,' Kurama thought as hid the file in a loose plank n the booth (it was too much of a burden to do a mission with a piece of paper jamming you in the ribs). 'Booth is closest one to the stairs on the East side. Plank is on South end.' He repeated the phrase over in his mind until he was sure it had been stored away in some dark corner of his mind until needed. Looking out from behind his hiding place, Kurama studied the sun's position. It was halfway over the horizon line, his cue to get going.

Getting up quickly and sliding along the wall of the booth got Kurama into the main walkway of the abandoned park. The indistinct spirits that manned the booths paid Kurama little mind as he walked towards the tall structure he saw in the distance; he assumed it was the locale of this 'Bath House of Spirits'. He had been able to see this structure since when he first got to the stone staircase, and at that point it had been determined as a good place to start. Kurama slowing walked up a smaller staircase and found himself in an immediate glow of lamps. Ducking out of sight, he looked around for who had spotted him; however, he quickly realized that the lamps were simply being lit because of nightfall. The strangest part of the lighting was that the lamps were lit from the Bath House onward. Lamps closer to the bath were lit before the ones farthest away. Kurama stood up from his hiding spot and continued on the walkway at a much faster pace since now the spirits that could see humans were to begin their shifts.

As he approached the Bath House, Kurama slid into some bushes. The greeters were out, and Kurama took the opportunity to observe them and the Bath House itself. The greeters were he things that had to be frogs and slugs. They were too ugly to be human and too human to be animals. With wide mouths and loud voices that sounded more like croaks, Kurama took those 'men' to be the frogs; the ones with slightly smaller mouths and odd eyebrows shaped like dots above the eyes he took to be slugs. The Bath House itself was possibly ten stories above the ground and had a bridge connecting it to the theme park booths. The bridge was right of a feudal era screen painting, the same was the ancient spirits that filed across it into the house. The smoke Kurama had seen earlier was not from the booths but from this Bath House; he could see the stacks now as even more smoke than before was flooding into the air.

Kurama deiced that it would be easier for him to enter the Bath House as long as he kept the little trick Botan had taught him in mind as he walked across the bridge. Spirits could not see humans on this side of the bridge, but once a human was seen on the Bath House side they were permanently caught. Kurama stood up from his hiding spot and walked slowly to he edge of he bridge. Taking a deep breath before he had set foot on the first plank, Kurama began a slow chant under his breath. If all went well, including if he didn't run out of air because only one breath could be taken in, when he got to the other side the spirits could still not see him. He set his foot down on the first plank, and when nothing happened, he continued on. As he walked, he caught sight of some very elite and rarely seen outside of their specific realms' spirits. He had never seen the likes of them before.

Suddenly, a random thought entered Kurama's head; well, not a thought per say, but a memory. If Kurama's memory served him correctly, both he and Kuronue had been patrons of this very Bath House. He couldn't remember how they had gotten in, but the smell of the place was the same as he one the demonic duo had visited on occasion. The thought of Kuronue had an unexpected effect on Kurama. He froze in place and sighed.

"A human!" an unseen frog cried out. Very shortly the cry was echoing over the bridge and he world seemed to freeze. Kurama had not realized it at first, but his mistake was a major one. When he had stopped and sighed, Kurama had stopped chanting.

Well, that's it for the first chapter of my new story. What do you think? I need feed back, because I live for it. Please push the button right below. Thank you, and I'll get back to my other stories as soon as possible.

This ENTIRE story is dedicated to my best bud Tigeriss Lightwater. Kate, this one's for you because you gave me the idea. Check out her stories, people!!


	2. Staircases and Boilers

First off, a big THANK YOU to Tigeriss Lightwater and Kina-chan for reviewing. I realize that Tig was the reason I wrote this, but I never let her see the final copy. And thanks to her, I got another Grunty plushie!

Now then, I PROMISE THAT I WILL UPDATE MY OTHER STORIES. Please give me time. Now, enjoy chapter two of Bath House of Spirits.

Chapter 2: Staircases and Boilers

"A human! Human!"

Kurama just stood there in a stunned silence. When he had thought of Kuronue, he had subconsciously stopped chanting. In other words, all the spirits of the Bath House could now see him. Looking straight ahead, Kurama saw a troop of about five frogs heading towards him. Without a second thought Kurama sprinted straight at them.

His sudden movement must have thrown the frogs off-guard, for when Kurama approached them the frogs froze in place. Jumping on one of their heads, he catapulted over the troop and landed on the Bath House side of the bridge. Glancing from side to side, Kurama looked for a doorway or some other kind of opening to get him out of sight. Seeing a small door hidden in the fencing, he darted for it, slammed his shoulder into it and, in essence, got out of the sights of the spirits before they could recover.

As Kurama crouched down in the small garden the door had led him to, he heard the panicked shouts of the frogs and slugs. The wall above him had to be the Bath House itself, because that is where the screams were the loudest. Slowing his breathing down so his presence would be even more unnoticeable, Kurama looked around the garden for a way out.

Off to the far end opposite the door he came in was a staircase going down. From the bridge, Kurama didn't see that the Bath House went down about 20 stories to the base of the smoke stacks, and, below them, rolling hills of grass and a set of train tracks. The only way down was that rickety staircase that looked as though it was about to fall apart, and Kurama didn't see any other option but to take it. Standing carefully so no shadows would be seen through the Bath House screens, Kurama inched his way to the stairs.

The stairs, it turned out, were very steep, an almost vertical line all the way to the bottom. Kurama wasn't expecting that and slipped on the first stair. Grabbing onto any stair he could grab, he held on until he regained his footing. Slowly, he stood up and brushed himself off. Behind him, Kurama was almost sure that he had heard the stair he had held onto crack and felt it give a little. Not wanting to check if he broke it, he continued down the stairwell to the base of the smoke stacks.

As Kurama took his last step off the stairs onto the platform at the bottom, a sudden noise caused him to flatten himself against the nearest wall. Risking a look up, Kurama saw a frog smoking a cigarette out of an open window. Quickly darting around the bend in the wall, he found himself facing a long hallway leading deep into the Bath House. At the end of the hallway red lights danced across a far wall near a bend. His curiosity getting the better of him, Kurama started down the hallway.

The sides of the hallway were lined with various pieces of machinery, a good deal of them issuing steam of smoke at regular intervals. Kurama reached a hand out to touch a small pipe, but abruptly withdrew it when he felt the flash of heat. Ignoring the faint burning sensation on his hand, Kurama looked straight at the wall in front of him and walked to it. Approaching the wall of dancing red light at a much slower pace, Kurama peered around the corner.

A multi-armed man was sitting in the middle of a vast boiler room. The man was sitting on top of a large platform in the middle of the room, each of his six arms doing something different; i.e. giving him water, rolling a grinder, grabbing herbs and the like. Underneath the platform were little black, round, and fuzzy-looking things with long and spindly legs. These fuzz-balls were carrying coal into the large boiler on one side of the room. Upon tossing the coal into the fire, they floated back into holes along the wall opposite the boiler in order to get their next load.

All along the same wall as the holes were drawers stacked from floor to ceiling. Kurama could smell the dried herbs that had been placed into the drawers, but did not let his curiosity get the better of him. He didn't want his identity of a thief to be discovered just yet, and he got the impression that this man would declare thief to anyone who touched the drawers. Taking a deep breath, Kurama stepped into the room to confront the multi-appendage man.

Walking up to the platform, Kurama cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "Um...excuse me? What is this place?"

Slowly, the man turned his head and looked down at Kurama. Kurama saw that the man was balding, wore think glasses and had a bushy mustache. The mustache was so bushy that Kurama could not see the man's mouth. "Eh?" the man said. When he spoke, his mustache moved and his voice came out weary and cracked with age. " A human? What are you doing here, boy?"

"I'm very sorry for disturbing you, but if you could tell me what this place is..."

Kurama was interrupted with an angry shout from the man. "Why should I tell you?! You're in the way, boy! Move it!" The man then pointed to the floor at Kurama's feet with one of his hands.

Looking down, Kurama promptly jumped back. The fuzz-balls were gathers behind his feet and chattering in confusion and anger. Apparently, they were like ants. When Kurama had stepped in front of them, he had blocked their path. Instead of going around him, they waited for the obstruction to be removed in order to follow the same path. When Kurama moved out of the way, they resumed their job as though nothing had happened.

There was a small step behind the platform, and Kurama sat on it. Gazing around the room, Kurama got an even closer look at his new surroundings. There was a door to his immediate right, but it would probably lead even further into the Bath House; not necessarily the best route possible. Looking at the drawers above his head, he counted 20 going up and 50 going across from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. From the smell of things each drawer held a different herb to use in the bath water. The one behind Kurama smelled of a very strong sage. Unable to resist the tempting smell, he turned and began to open the drawer.

"What the hell are you doing, boy?!" boomed the boiler man. His voice filled the entire crevice of a room and caused Kurama to clamp his hands over his sensitive ears to prevent hearing loss. Kurama could feel a hand grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him abruptly back towards the platform. As the wind rushed past his ears Kurama could feel the arm flip him upside-down and held him by his leg as he faced the boiler man. Hanging with his head closer to the floor than he would normally like it, Kurama saw that the man's entire arm had stretched to the length of no less than two arms. Kurama assumed, for that was all he could do as he hung there, that the man's arms stretched so that he could reach the drawers from the platform without moving. The arm that held Kurama moved him so that he was an inch from the boiler man's face. Keeping his cool like he always does, Kurama answered the man's question.

"Looking."

"At what?!" The man bared down on Kurama in an attempt to scare him, but Kurama was never easily frightened. He simply stared back at the man. However, something about that stare must have startled the man because he dropped Kurama on his head. "D-do I...know you?" the man stuttered out.

"Huh?" Kurama got up and rubbed his head gingerly. It was throbbing where he had fallen on it. He looked up at the man and replied, "What do you mean, 'know'? If I knew you, I'm sure I would've remembered. But I don't recall ever seeing you in my life."

"Yes." The man returned to his work, but soon began muttering to himself, "Me? Know a human? Impossible! I am a slave to the boilers, never to venture out." He stopped working again and stared at Kurama. "Hmm...Something about you reminds me of an acquaintance I had once years ago. I'm entrusting you with my name, boy. I am Kumagi."

"Pleasure to meet you." Kurama bowed, "And I am..."

"Don't bother telling me your name, I'll forget it anyway," he went back to grinding the herbs for the bath water. "If you want to leave, go back the way you came. I recommend you leave right now."

"I can't. They saw me and the way I came in is most likely blocked."

"Then go through that door." Kumagi stretched one arm behind him and pointed at the door Kurama had seen earlier. "Follow one of the slugs from a distance and you'll eventually reach the front door. There's a path right off the side that's hidden from view, stay there until things calm down and then leave by crossing over the bridge."

Kurama did not tell Kumagi what was going to happen once he got into the Bath House, but simply asked, "Where is the person who runs this place?"

"Yubaba? Top floor. Go there, she'll make you sign a contract and work. Don't go."

"Well, thanks for everything." Kurama bowed, slid open the small door, and quickly entered the Bath House.

* * *

That's it. Please review. It will be appreciated. I promise I'll update others as soon as possible


	3. Long Forgotten Memories

Hiya! Wow, I'm at chapter three already...I had no idea that I would ever get this far! This is all thanks to you wonderful reviewers:

Kute Anime Kitty: I promise I will update all my fics. The thing is I am an academic so most of my time is dedicated to homework no matter how much I hate it. I promise that I am working on Ice Meets Wind but I can't seem to get the mood right so it's taking an eternity.

Dark Angel: I'm very glad you like it!

There are my two wonderful reviewers for the second chapter! Now, on with the rest of the fic.

Bath House of Spirits Ch. 3: Long-Forgotten Memories

Sliding the wooden door shut behind him, Kurama crawled through the small tunnel on the other side. The tunnel was very small and very short, a tight fit but Kurama somehow managed it. At the other end this scrawny excuse for a tunnel was a room full of lifts (A/N: I'd like to say elevators, but it doesn't quite fit). Each lift went up to a certain level and then, apparently, the riders must change lifts if they wanted to go up higher. This would prove to be a problem if Kurama wanted to get to the top level without being noticed.

Drawing his eyes down from the multi-leveled lift system, Kurama looked around the floor he was currently standing on. This was obviously the ground floor of the whole Bath House due to the fact no slugs or frogs were around and boxes of various age were strewn everywhere. Hiding down here would be a cinch, especially if that person hiding is a thief extraordinaire. Slowly walking into the center of the lift-room, Kurama spotted only one that went from the ground-level up to about mid-level. This on had it's doors opened and seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Aha!"

The cry came out from behind Kurama near the anorexic tunnel. Whipping around, he saw a slug standing in the shadows.

"I thought I heard a new voice in Kumagi's boiler room!" the slug cried triumphantly, walking out of the shadows and moving right in front of Kurama.

Kurama observed that this slug was more human-like than the ones he had seen up on the bridge. She was taller than those short, fat things he had seen, almost as tall as he was. Her eyes were not little black dots but wide and a brownish-blue. The eyebrows had shrunk to the standard slug-dots, but other than that she looked human. This slug was wearing the pink pants and shirt of an underling worker. In other words, she was lower in status than the well-dressed ones greeting spirits and gods on the bridge.

Without warning, the slug grabbed Kurama's chin and pulled it down to her level. "My, my. You are a cute one. Than again, your voice told me that you had to be good-looking. What a waste. To execute such a handsome young boy, normally I wouldn't stand for it."

eye's widening, Kurama said quickly, "You won't turn me in, will you?"

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." Smirking, she let go of his chin and began walking around him. "It would mean a pay raise for me if I bring you in."

"Umm..." Kurama, for once in his life, couldn't think of a thing to say.

"You know what?" The slug said reluctantly as she continued to circle Kurama, "I have never seen a human, or any other creature for that matter, quite as handsome as you. Must be some rare breeding in you. Now that I've gotten a good look at you, I'd rather keep you all to myself."

Reaching into his pocket, Kurama rummaged around for anything he could offer her. Finding nothing, he took a gold chain bracelet off his wrist and held it out to her. when she didn't see it at first, he grabbed the back of her shirt and dangled it in her face.

"Gold?! Give it!" She reached out to snatch it but Kurama quickly slipped it back on his wrist in one swift motion.

"Greedy, greedy. I figured," sighed Kurama and let go of her shirt. "Take me to Yubaba and this bracelet shall be yours."

"I'll do whatever you say!!" The slug seemed very eager to help now at the thought of getting gold. "I am Lin, at your service!"

"Great. Now, (Lin, was it?) take me to see Yubaba. I must see her tonight."

"Follow me." Lin turned and headed to the lift with it's doors open and stepped into it. "Hurry up!" she gestured wildly at Kurama top move into the lift next to her. Obliging her, he stood in the lift. "Going up. we'll have to change lifts only once."

"The least amount of visibility, the better," Kurama muttered. Some light began to filter over his face a few seconds into the ride. Glad for something to look at besides walls, he turned his head and peered through the slats on one end of the lift. It was difficult for him to see, but he managed to make out that the light was coming from lamps scattered on the floor below. As the lift rose higher, he managed to make out the entire bathing area.

Scattered all over the floor were little cubicles with a bath in each one. The occupants of the baths were being care for by the slugs and frogs, most of which scurried from place to place gathering towels and soap and things along those lines. At the moment, all the baths were full. Looking carefully at their faces, Kurama tried to recognize anyone he could possibly know. He was concentrating so hard on their faces he failed to notice the lift stop.

"Move it!" Lin hissed, grabbing the back of his coat and dragging him out onto the busy floor. "Don't; stay in the lift for too long once it stops, you'll be discovered faster!"

"Stop dragging me, I can walk on my own!" Kurama wretched himself out of Lin's grasp and straightened out his jacket. Glaring at Lin, he began walking in the general direction of the nearest lift.

"where are you going?"

"There's a lift around here that goes up."

"How do you know that?" Lin asked, dumbfounded.

Kurama stopped in mid-step. how did he know where to go? Patrons are normally led by slugs, so they truly are helpless without a guide. Kurama wasn't a regular who gained the privilege of learning his way around, so how did he know that a lift was right around the corner in front of him?

"I-I wish I knew..." Kurama replied softly, turning and seeing a lift on the wall. "This one does go up, but not to the top floor, correct?"

"Y-yes, you're right. There's only one lift on this level that goes to Yubaba, and that one is-"

"-across the bridge," Kurama finished, pointing at the bridge going across the open bathing area. It was just beyond the lift where he had stopped. "You go across the bridge, make a left and keep going until you reach a stairway. Slightly beyond the bottom step of these stairs is the lift that goes straight to the top level."

Lin continued to look at him, struck dumb. She was so shocked that she nearly dropped the bundle she was carrying. Fumbling for it, she managed to secure the bundle in her hands before it crashed on the floor. Looking blankly at it, a dawn of understanding spread across her face, soon replaced by panic. "I forgot to give Kumagi his food! He's going to kill me!!""

Turing on her heel, Lin took off for the lift leading to the ground level. Calling out over her shoulder to Kurama, "if you know the way, go yourself! I won't ask how it is that you know!" And just like that, Kurama was alone.

Starting across the bridge without a guide, Kurama finally got a good look at the inner workings of the Bath House. Ten different levels with so many different activities occurring on each balcony Kurama felt tired just watching them. Looking down at the bathing area, he saw several spirits walking around in their undergarments. Seeing spirits and gods out of their splendor had a profound effect on Kurama. Covering his mouth so none of his laughter could be heard, he ran as fast as he could to the other side of the bridge before he was spotted.

Following his own directions, Kurama ran to the lift that went straight to Yubaba's floor. He knocked several frogs and slugs over in his sprint, but he never stopped. Upon reaching the lift, he shoved all those coming out of it away and slid the door shut. Pulling on the lever to raise the lift to the floor wanted, Kurama allowed his laughter to overtake him. Despite his serious demeanor, seeing gods and spirits in their underwear was just too much for him to take.

His laughter calmed down as the lift approached the top floor. as the doors slid open, Kurama put on his usual expressionless mask and stepped out of the lift. Turning right, he found himself in front of a very large, ornate double door. There was a large knocker positioned so that Kurama had to bend down slightly to reach it comfortably. Seizing it firmly, he swung it as hard as he could at the brass plate. The knock echoed throughout area behind the door.

That is it! Please review. Live for reviews.


	4. Yubaba's Deal

WOW! More reviews! I am so happy right now I could break dance! But I won't because I sprained my ankle. Here are the reviewers for chapter three:

Rekka: Thank you very much for liking the concept! I promise not to let you down unless I get major writers block!

Dark Angel: Ok, does this count as a fast update?

Also, Haku and Lin play big parts in this story, but Chihiro doesn't show up until the end. Thank you, you two reviewers! Now, without further ado, the Yubaba scene of Bath House!

Bath House of Spirits Ch. 4: Yubaba's Deal

The knock echoed in the space behind the enormous door. After waiting for a few moments, Kurama knocked twice more when no response came. When he got no response from the other knocks, he turned to leave.

"What do you want, boy?" A voice asked, causing Kurama to stop in his tracks. Turning his head to look around, he saw that the door knocker he had used had twisted itself into a face. It had the most grotesque, cross-eyed face Kurama had ever seen.

Blinking in surprise at the method of greeting, Kurama was silent for a second before responding, "I came here to look for work."

"Why is that?" asked the door-knocker.

Thinking up a lie on the spot, Kurama settled on a story that was true years before and is partially true now. "There is nothing left for me here."

That seemed to do the trick. The knocker-face twisted back into its standard knocker form and the doors opened slowly. As the doors opened, a light flickered on in every hallway behind those doors. There were so many hallways Kurama thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Hurry up, boy. I don't have all day." The voice was now louder than it had been when it spoke through the knocker.

It felt as though someone had grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled as hard as they could. Kurama felt his feet rise to a centimeter off the floor and the sensation of flying forward at a very high speed. He watched several hallways flash by before taking an abrupt turn and going down one of them. The door at the end of this hallway opened and Kurama was pitched forward towards the floor.

Putting out his hand to help break his fall, Kurama flipped twice before landing securely on his feet. Standing up and brushing himself off, he began to observe these new surroundings.

It appeared he was in an office or den of some kind. There was an oversized armchair in front of him, a fire crackling in the fireplace to his left, and pictures on the mantel and along the walls. He was just about to move to the pictures for a better look when he heard a sniff to his right. Moving his head so he could see behind himself, Kurama got his first glimpse of the head-witch Yubaba.

Yubaba was sitting at an old-fashioned oak desk and her gaze was fixed on Kurama with an appraising look. Kurama now saw the need for that oversized chair by the fire. The witch, shorter than Kurama's six-foot frame by a considerable amount, was very wide. Her head seemed too big for her body and the gray and brown streaked bun that sat on top of it looked too large to be allowed. Yubaba's piercing, expressionless eyes held no depth and were almost as disturbing as the dot between them. Her nose was large, long and slightly crooked. she looked as though she could be a loving grandmother to any child so long as that child doesn't mind being eaten alive.

Not wishing to appear rude, Kurama bowed as low as he could. As he did so, three heads came rolling and bouncing across the floor. they butted up against Kurama's legs, as though they were trying to push him away from the room.

"That's enough, you three." Yubaba croaked, her voice now booming in Kurama's ears. It was not as muted as it had been when she spoke through the door knocker. Turning her attention to Kurama, she clucked her tongue in approval. "Well, well! A polite one, I see. I could really use you here. Now, why did you say that you wished to work here?"

Thinking off the top of his head, Kurama blurted out, "My real parents are dead. They died a very long time ago. After their demise I was sent to live in a foster family that I hated. The only reason I stayed was because my best friend lived right next door. when that friend died in an accident recently in an accident, I ran away. I saw the tunnel, went through it and saw this place. Seems it would be interesting to work in a place like this."

Kurama's mouth went dry. what he had just said was not a lie but a mostly true truth. His real family was dead and so was Kuronue. The only lie in the whole statement was the part where he said that he hated Shiori. That was not true in the least. Now, all he could do was hope Yubaba bought his story. If not...Well, he didn't want to think about that right now.

After a moment of silence, Yubaba said, "Hmm...I really could use a respectful and truthful worker like you around here. Alright, boy, you may join the Bath House staff." She picked up a piece of paper and gestured for Kurama to come over to her. "This is the contract that you must sign. Place your name here in this blank and then return the paper to me."

"First and last name?"

"Well, your choice. It doesn't really matter." She handed him the paper and a brush.

Kurama looked at the contract and thought about which name to put down. Kurama was his real name by birth, but most people who knew him used the name Shuuichi. Deciding that it would be safer for him to be Shuuichi here, he put that name down and gave the contract back to Yubaba.

"Shuuichi, is it?" she said as she read the paper. "Interesting name. It means 'excellence' if i am not mistaken. Well, I expect you to live up to that meaning. However, Shuuichi is not what you shall be called here." Yubaba hovered her hand over the signature and Kurama saw, to his astonishment, ink strokes flying up into her hand and altering his name. She even added a few new strokes to completely alter it. "From this point on you shall be called Cura. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Kurama said. Bowing low, Kurama began to wonder the purpose of altering his name. Shrugging it off to think about later, he merely set a goal to get used to this name quickly.

"Very good. Haku!"

"Yes, Yubaba?"

Kurama looked up and saw a small boy wearing the white and blue of an overseer standing in the doorway. His large greenish-blue eyes reflected the room as he gazed from Yubaba to Kurama with well-concealed curiosity. After catching Kurama's eye, he turned his head quickly so that his hair now concealed his face from Kurama's view. Haku said in a strangely deep voice, "What do you want, Yubaba?"

"This is Cura, he shall be working with us from this point on. Take him to his room and get him ready for work tomorrow." Yubaba commanded, reaching into a drawer and pulling out accounting books.

"Ma'am. Follow me, Cura."

Kurama thought his eyes were deceiving him, but he could've sworn he had seen Haku somewhere before. Shaking off the strange recognition, Kurama followed Haku to the lift outside of Yubaba's office. When his feet touched the floor of the lift, Kurama felt a sharp pang of pain in his head. Before he could touch his head, though, the pain vanished. Moving quickly so he wouldn't look suspicious, he stood behind Haku as the boy led him to the floor of the workers common room.

"Excuse me," Kurama asked quietly as the two of them began to walk down the stairs.

"What?" The response was sharp and annoyed.

"Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you before."

"Impossible. I don't mix with humans." But Kurama was sure that, for a moment, the boy had had a look of alarm on his face.

The common room of the Bath House workers was a crowded and noisy place, packed full of slugs and frogs eager to see the new arrival. Among them Kurama saw Lin, but he said nothing.

"This is the new guy. His name is Cura. If he doesn't work hard do as you wish with him," Haku announced to the room. Looking around for someone he asked, "Where's Lin? She messed up her assignment today and will now help train the new guy."

"I'm right here, but why me?" she complained, running up and grabbing Kurama's arm. "Come with me."

Once again, Kurama was following Lin through the Bath House. His head felt like it was in a fog, so he did not look which way he was going. He didn't even know they had arrived until Lin stopped him by poking him in the chest. Coming to his senses, Kurama saw they were outside a small sliding door.

"The men who work here get their own rooms," she stated, opening the door and crawling through it. Kurama followed her and saw the room was small, with one futon and a closet. Lin walked to the closet and got out a sage-green uniform. "There you go, you'll be working with the slugs tomorrow. I'll be by to pick you up, but I won't wait for you to get ready if I have to wake you up. Be up and about by the time I come, got it?" As she moved to leave, she added in an undertone, "I'm glad you made it kid. I stand by what I said before. About your death being a waste and all," and then she was gone.

Kurama collapsed on the futon. His headache just seemed to have gotten worse in the space of a few seconds. Various pictures of people flashed across his mind, and he assumed that he knew them. A short boy with greased back hair, a tall red head, a kind-looking woman with long hair back in a bun. Kurama knew their names (Yusuke, Kuwabara and Shiori).

But...Just who were these people?

MUST READ THIS:

From this point on, Kurama shall be known as Cura until that changes later on. Cura is Latin for 'care', not 'cure', and Kurama will be the care-giver of the Bath House. Also, he has begun the memory-loss process, as you can tell. Now, what will happen to him? Review and I'll tell you!


	5. Evening WakeUp

-bows gratefully- Thank you to all you reviewers, you made my weeks when I was stuck on crutches:

kikyo13: I am glad you like it, but I'm very sorry. Hiei is not in this story. Please don't hurt me!

Samantha: I know you can't!

FireFox: Aren't I telling you now? And thanks very much for the compliment!

Grateful as always, so keep reviewing! I live for reviews! And as a reminder: Cura is Kurama without memories, ok?

BathHouse of Spirits Ch. 5: Evening Wake-Up

Cura reluctantly opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep soon after entering this room, but for the rest of the night had tossed and turned frantically. When he did fall asleep all he did was dream about people whose names he didn't know. Finally giving up on getting any good sleep whatsoever, Cura had forced his eyes open. When he did so he got a pounding headache and sudden case of disorientation.

Clamping a hand over his eyes, Cura struggled to get up off the futon. When he finally managed to sit up, he slowly took his hand off his eyes. Blinking, Cura got off the futon and stood up. Walking in a slightly drunken manner, he made his way to a sliding door opposite the one that led into the hallway. Cura found the handle on the door and slid it open. He was greeted by a setting sun and an even larger headache. Staggering out onto the balcony which the door had revealed, Cura took several deep breaths of air and felt his headache subside a little. The wind rushed through his long hair, and Cura began to feel like he was missing something important. Sighing heavily, he returned to the room to get dressed.

The uniforms of a male Bath House worker had been laid out on his futon the previous night. Cura picked up the shirt and pants and pressed them against his body to check the sizing. The pants were fine, but the shirt appeared to be too big. He went to the closet by the futon and began to rummage through it for another, smaller, shirt. It took him several minutes to find one and then put the shirts back neatly into the closet. However, now that he had an outfit that fit him, Cura began to change out of his street clothes.

Cura pulled off his trench coat and tossed it in the corner. It was soon followed by his black T-shirt, jeans, socks and shoes. Now standing in his black boxers, Cura knelt down and picked up the blue pants. He quickly pulled them on and tied them loosely at his waist, noting that they could be rolled up and tied just below the knees. Cura took a black shrug used for protecting the arms and put it on, being sure to fasten the straps across his chest. The shrug was very form fitting and clung to every muscle in his arms and chest, yet Cura found it very easy to move in. He then took the white, kimono-style shirt and slung it over his shoulders. Tying it at the sides and then tucking it into the pants, he could now tightly re-tie the pants so they would not fall off while he was working. Cura rolled the pants to his knees and secured the rolls with drawstrings. Finally finished dressing, he went to the balcony and stood by the railing, waiting for Lin to arrive.

The sun was half-way over the horizon when Cura heard a soft knock sound at his door. Cura turned and leaned back against the balcony rail as Lin slid open the door and entered. She didn't seem to notice him standing there at first, because she immediately began to talk and all her comments were directed at the futon.

"Alright, rookie! Time to rise and shine,: she said to the futon, kicking it roughly. Lin set down a bucket she was carrying and began to take things out of it. "I have a hair brush and hair ribbon for you to use. A word of advice from me to you: stay clean and Yubaba will like you all the more. She wants guests to see healthy and clean employees and baths. It gives a good impression, you know? Hey, you up yet?"

"Yes," Cura said finally from his spot on the balcony, causing her to jump and spin toward the balcony. When she finally saw him, she gasped and her jaw dropped. ""W-what?" Cura nervously scratched the back of his head, wondering what he did to cause her reaction.

"N-nothing! You just looked like someone familiar for a second, that's all. The sun makes you hair glow and it just reminded me of him." Lin paused to mentally slap herself before beckoning him to come over to her.

"Here. Brush out your hair and tie it back," She said as she gave him the brush and ribbon.

Cura accepted the items. Moving quickly, he brushed out his hair in long, fast strokes. There were no knots in his hair, so there was no real need to brush it, yet he did it anyway out of habit. He grabbed the white ribbon off the floor where he had placed it and tied his hair back into a low ponytail. There were a few loose tendrils by his ears that refused to be pulled back, other than that his hair was all out of his face. Upon finishing, he made a move to give the brush back to Lin, but she shook her head.

"No, you keep it. I have my own." She picked up her bucket and moved to the hallway door. But before she opened it, Lin reached back into the bucket and pulled out a very long ribbon. "Tie back your sleeves, you don't want them getting in the way of work, do you?"

Cura did as he was instructed. Lin opened the door and led him out into the hallway. They went down the same hallway she had led him down earlier that morning. Cura was shocked to fins himself memorizing every turn they took and every path the followed, but he didn't know why he was doing it.

Eventually, after taking several lifts and stairs, they got to the level where the workers' foreman was. The foreman was a fat frog with a mustache. He sat on a very tall stool and before and enormous desk. Cura had to crane his neck back very far and back up a few paces in order to see him properly.

"Good morning, foreman." Lin bowed. Cura followed her lead after getting a painful stomp on his foot. "Where do we work today?"

"Orders form the top. You are to take the new kid and scrub the floors of the entryway in preparation for the guests first. After breakfast, Lin, you go back to your standard duties. The boy will have to go up front and take care of specific customers pointed out to him by Yubaba herself." The frog croaked. Cura saw that as various slugs and frogs came up to the foreman, he would give them red slabs of wood with symbols on them. Cura was curious as to what they were, but did not ask. The foreman looked down at them and said sharply, "What are you doing, standing there? Get going."

Lin tapped Cura on the shoulder to get his attention. "Come on, kid." The two of them walked to the front hall where the guests entered the Bath House for the first time. The entry way was a simple, wood paneled room with carpeting from door to bathing area. There were several slugs already at work when Lin and Cura entered. Whispers erupted when the other slugs saw Cura. Lin just rolled her eyes, gave him a bucket and rags and told him to fill the bucket with water. She pointed at the faucet fixed behind some loose paneling.

As Cura walked across the hall to the faucet, he heard the barely-concealed whispers of the slugs.

"Look at him!"

"Gorgeous!"

"Wonder why he's working with us?"

"Who cares?"

"We get to work with him!"

Cura tried very hard to ignore the whispers and surprised himself when he managed to tune them out entirely. He felt as though he had spent a lifetime of doing this, but had no idea where the feeling had come from. Sighing softly, Cura resigned himself to looking down at the bucket he was supposed to be filling. Finally realizing that he had not turned the faucet on, he quickly reached over and turned the spicket to the on position. After doing so, he went back to staring at the bottom of the bucket.

The bottom of the bucket was black with the tar used to make it waterproof. As the water poured into the bucket, it swirled around in an enchanting manner. The light danced across the dark water, and Cura began to imagine that, instead of water, there was a figure with long, silky, black hair. The creature, whose face and body could not be seen because of the hair, kept twirling in a circle causing it's hair to ripple in the wind. Cura almost herd a deep laugh from the back of his mind. There was a friendly ring to it, like an acquaintance long forgotten.

He reached over to the spicket and turned the water flow off. Cura sighed again. This was turning into a day full of deja-vu, and it was starting to bother him. If he was getting the feelings of having seen or done something before, why couldn't he remember? Cura shook his head to clear his thoughts. Determining that getting the job done first was more important than meaningless thoughts from no where. He picked the bucket up out of the sink and walked slowly back to Lin.

When Cura got to Lin and set the bucket down in front of her, the giggling that had surrounded him upon walking back turned into a hiss. He caught such phrases as "How dare she make him do all the hard work!" and even more about how lucky Lin was. She sighed, rolled her eyes again, and turned to the other workers. "If you're finished giggling about stupid little things, get back to work!" Lin practically shouted. "This entryway has to be spotless within the hour!"

The other workers, taken aback slightly from this sudden outburst, began to grumble. A glare from Lin got them back to work, though. The started scrubbing and polishing the floors under Lin's cold glare. When she was satisfied that they were truly working, she turned back to Cura with a much softer look.

Cura soaked the rags in the water and was ringing them out when he decided to speak. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" Lin asked, accepting the damp cloth from Cura.

"For making them behave the way they did because of my looks," he said softly, placing his cloth on the floor.

"Oh," Lin was visibly shocked by his response, but recovered quickly enough to stop him from running off to scrub. "Hold it. It's not your fault in the least. Whatever they did was their choice, so," She waved a dismissive hand at the other workers before adding, "Don't worry about it. Come one, let's finish this job so we can get breakfast."

Cura, still positioned to run and scrub, managed a very small smile. "All right."

"Great! Race you to the other wall and back!" She had barely said that before she was off, leaving Cura to scurry after her.

* * *

"I got a head start and you still beat me! No fair!" Lin complained to Cura. She had lost every time, even when she had a head start. "By the way, how did you beat me?"

"I just ran as fast as i could!" Cura said innocently with a big smile.

The group of workers had managed to get finished before the first guests had entered, meaning they could all eat breakfast. Lin led him to the small break room off the sides of the public bathing area. All food was to be received here by the workers only.

"We want two breakfasts," Lin told the frog in charge, holding up two fingers to emphasize her point.

The frog nodded and scooped rice, eggs and meat into two bowls from the large bins in front of him. He swiftly poured some sauce over them, stuck chopsticks into the rice and handed them over to Lin and Cura. Cura gave a small bow and Lin tilted her head slightly before taking the food. The two of them moved to a bench on the far side of the room so they could eat in place.

After a few minutes of eating, Cura asked, "Hey, Lin?" Lin grunted to show she was listening and went back to eating. "What exactly am I supposed to do after this?"

"Greeting a guest Yubaba chooses for you, escort that guest to an open bath, and then do whatever that guest tells you to do. Simple, really?"

"Oh, ok. I think I can do that."

"Don't be too confident yet, you never know what Yubaba has up her sleeve. She might just give you a really tough guest for fun."

Cura averted his eyes back to his food and tried to eat a few more bites but felt no appetite. Yubaba seemed to like doing things for fun, according to Lin, and money was first priority. The thought of her doing so much just for fun made him feel vaguely sick for some reason. He shoveled some more food into his mouth but tasted nothing.

"Cura! Where's Cura?" a frog screamed, rushing into the room. Cura, glad for a reason to stop eating, stood up. "There you are! Yubaba want you up front right now!" The frog grabbed Cura's arm and proceeded to drag him through the crowds of people into the entryway.

In the entryway which Cura had helped clean, several apparitions were filing through the door. They were greeted outside by some specially-appointed slugs and then shown around by the worker slugs and frogs. Yubaba stood off to one side, looking both grim and smug. Cura walked over to her and bowed politely.

"Well, Cura, I'm glad you came so fast. This is one customer I want none of my experienced workers dealing with. A demon has come to this Bath House, a rarity indeed. Out last demonic guests were well over 30 years ago. All the workers are scared of going near this one, but I don't want you to screw up. This one seems to be very powerful and we could really make some money off him," Yubaba said in her dry voice.

Cura bowed again and said quietly, "Yes ma'am."

"Ah, here he is now," Yubaba stated as she turned to the entry curtains. Cura turned as well.

A tall shadow could be seen outside the door and the click of it's boots sounded on the wooden planks of the bridge. The 'welcomes' of the greeter slugs suddenly got louder in badly-contained excitement or fear, Cura couldn't tell which. The boot clacks stopped just outside the drapes and a long fingered, pale hand pushed them aside before stepping in.

The demon was about seven feet tall with very long, black hair pulled back in a high ponytail fed through a witches hat. His face was sharp and expressions cold, but Cura could see some sort of light in his eyes. The outfit he wore consisted of an artfully torn vest, pant and waist coat. The demon had large wings that made his small, slender body seem bigger than it really was. He gazed around the entry way for a few minutes before entering it completely and allowing the curtains to fall shut behind him.

Cura let out a gasp of surprise as the demon walked towards him and Yubaba. The gold, silver and ruby pendent on his neck twinkled in the light and Yubaba eyed it eagerly. Cura had no idea why, but a sudden rage had erupted in him at the sight of Yubaba's greed. However, before he could do anything, the demon spoke.

"You the head witch here? I request a bath, and I will pay depending on service," he said coldly.

"Of course! Welcome!" Yubaba bowed and Cura followed, reluctantly. He wanted to see more of the demon and place his face to a name. He had to. Cura was positive he had seen this demon somewhere before.

Author's Note: Some of the clothing might have confused you so here is a small explanation. A shrug is like a shirt with the majority of the front and back cut out. It's just sleeves, think School of Rock or Princess Monoke for this one. Waist coat is exactly that: a coat around his waist. It is not 18th century style, it is a strip of cloth fastened around the waist. Simple, ne?

Wow, five pages...Please review?


	6. First Customer

Hello again! I'm very sorry it has taken me so long, but if you read my bio...eh, you'll know why! Anyway, here is the Thank-the-Reviewers-and-Answer-Their-Questions-If-They-Have-Any Section! (Note: Not in any particular order)

**The Demon Sisters**: Well, wait no more!

**Lady Liliana: **Everything is to be answered in due time, dear heart.

**Chiako**: Heh, heh. Thanks a bunch!

**tHeInFaMoUsDuCkY**: Well, it wouldn't hurt...But if you want to beta read we have to set something up first. Email me at darrkkatt yahoo . com .

**Skittles the Sugar Fairy**: Are you a control freak or something?

**freakypersononsugarhigh**: 1) Yes; 2) Yes, with a VENGENCE. You'll see...

**Yavie Aeline:** Wow...thank you very much!

**FireFox639**: Duh. Obvious answer. But thanks anyway!

**dragonpurity:** It is cool, ain't it?

**cheerful-pinkstar**: What do you think I'm doing right now?

There we have it, the great people who reviewed last chapter! (Lady L. reviewed in chapter 4 as well, but I'm not sure if I included her name)Please review. Oh, and by the way, I am looking for a beta reader for all my stories. So, if you are interested, send me an email! Now, onto the fic. Hope you like it!

BathHouse of Spirits Ch. 6: First Customer

'Where have I seen him before?' Cura asked himself as he bowed low to the demon. 'I know his name...it's on the tip of my tongue...Why can't I remember!'

"Now, good sir, what kind of bath would you like this evening?" Yubaba said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. Cura almost gagged as he rose out of his bow and looked up at the demon. "There are several wonderful accommodations for you. You may take a bath with another guest in the public bathing area, or you may choose to take a bath in the red sector."

The demon put a hand on his chin and rubbed it thoughtfully. "Red sector is what, if you don't mind me asking?" His voice was deep and had a slight edge to it. It was like a blunt edge of a knife, it could save you but get on the wrong side and it'll kill you in a swift motion.

Yubaba's grin faltered. This must not have been what she was expecting, Cura thought as he eyed his boss with curiosity. "The red sector, named because of the color of the walls, is our most expensive area. It has private baths for individuals or very small groups, ceilings and locking doors for privacy, and a personal servant for the whole duration of your stay. There is also the option of staying overnight in one of our rooms here." There was no trace of a smile, false or otherwise, on Yubaba's face now. Clearly the thought of a demon with privileges to stay overnight was not something she wanted.

The winged demon stopped stroking his chin and said, quite clearly, "I believe I will take that option and will stay here until I see fit to leave. I will pay at the end of every day in regards to courtesy, comfort and how well the worker works for me. Are we clear?"

"Yes, crystal. Come with me boy," she added in an undertone, grabbing Cura's sleeve and moving him to the far corner of the entrance hall. Yubaba made a motion to the demon signaling him to wait a moment, they will be done shortly. "You were staring at him the entire time!" she hissed when she felt that they were well out of earshot. "To be frank, I'm surprised he hasn't left yet! If you screw this up I will turn you into one of our slaughterhouse pigs or a piece of coal! If this demon pays by service and you mess this up, we'll get no money!

"Now, I want you to take him to the red sector like he requested. There is always at least one bath open there so take him to it. When you're there, help him into the bath and do whatever he says. Anything he tells you to do is law, got it? Cura swallowed and nodded under Yubaba's glare. She cleared her throat and continued, "Good. I'm sorry about that, sir." She painfully grabbed Cura's arm and dragged him back to the demon. Her voice was dripping with the false sweetness again. Cura held back yet another gag. "This boy is still getting used to things around here, so I decided to give him a quick pep talk. He swears he will make your stay as comfortable as possible."

The demon quirked an eyebrow at Yubaba's lie, which was as obvious as it was pathetic. And yet he said nothing and waited patiently for her to continue. Yubaba simply grinned up at the demon, as if hoping the lie was going to be accepted. Finally, after a moment of total, awkward silence, he threw up his hands in the air and said, "Is there anything else you want to say? If not, kindly let go of the worker so he can show me to my bath."

Yubaba's grip tightened painfully on Cura's arm before she let him go. "Go, boy. And I'm sure you'll do a good job." Cura had no idea if she could get her voice and sweeter, but she did. He used every ounce of self control not to puke. Yubaba turned and left on the nearest lift, still grinning in a menacing way.

Slowly, Cura turned and looked up at the demon. The demon, a good two feet taller than Cura at least, looked down at the worker. Cura gulped and started towards the curtains along the walls. He lifted a curtain to the right and revealed the path to the red sector. "This way, sir."

The demon nodded and followed Cura through the curtain. Behind this curtain was a long corridor with several branching, smaller hallways. After several moments of staying on the well-lit corridor, Cura took a sharp right. He could hear the demon following him, but said nothing. Cura kept his head down, staring at the ground and careful not to say anything that was not necessary. As they passed the foreman of the red sector's desk, which was very similar to the main foreman's desk, a voice called down to Cura.

"Hey! New kid!"

Cura paused and looked up at the tall desk where the twin of the main foreman was sitting. The frog was gesturing for him to come over.

"Um...e-excues me," Cura bowed apologetically to the demon and hurried over to the foreman's desk.

"Ok, ked, here's the deal. Orders straight from Yubaba herself. You're to give this demon the highest-quality water we can offer in this bathhouse." The foreman put a red slab of wood with a yellow star pattern on it into a basket and lowered it to Cura's level. "There is a small door hidden in the paneling to the right-side of every bath in this place. Open the door, attach this slab of wood and pull down hard. The order for water will go straight to Kumagi. the water itself will come from just above the small door. To get it running, pull the rope, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Cura reached into the basket and pulled out the slab. As he turned it over in his hands he wondered why the foreman was being so nice to him. Then again, Cura thought as he glanced out of the corners of his eyes, all the workers seem more polite and respectful than before. Where they scared of this demon for some reason?

"Oh, and kid?" Cura stopped thinking and looked up at the foreman. The foreman grinned widely and wickedly at him. "They say that a demon who is dissatisfied with service will eat those who wait on him." The foreman laughed wildly as Cura paled. Cura quickly turned and left the foreman, deciding not to let the man's words get to him, and returned to the waiting demon.

"S-sorry about that..." Cura began to apologize, but the demon held up a hand to stop him.

"Are they always like that? So mean to you?" the demon asked, his voice deep and smooth. Cura thought he saw genuine concern in the demon's eyes, but it might've been his imagination.

Cura wasn't sure how to respond. In an attempt to break some of the awkward silence he began to walk again towards the demon's bath. He was quiet for a long time, but the demon was not pushing him to speak. Finally, after passing a group of giggling slugs, Cura said, "Well, if you didn't know already, I'm new here. I still don't know what I'm doing. So, I beg your forgiveness if I mess up at any point in your service." They finally reached the proper bath and Cura let the demon in.

The bathing area was small and private, with a circular bath in the middle of the floor big enough for a fat frog or slug to sit comfortably. On the walls there were murals of legends and folk tales from feudal Japan. The one directly across from the sliding entry door told of a devious kitsune and his quest to be the greatest and most powerful being of all. Cura felt strangely drawn to the story but resisted the urge to sit down and stare at the mural. He reached into the folds of his shirt and grabbed the token he had shoved in there then walked to the right side of the room.

When he saw the mural on the right wall, Cura stopped short. This mural was of a great tree and its branches spread to all the other walls in the room. It look very familiar to him, and he put out a hand to touch it. He glided his fingers across the smooth paint and pushed down when he felt a slight bump. The hidden door sprang open, revealing a slide and a hanging clip suspended by a chord. Cura took the token, fastened it to the clip and pulled down as instructed. the token shot upward and disappeared from view. Now his only task was to wait for the water to come.

Cura turned and as he leaned back against the wall he saw the demon looking at him curiously. "What is it?" Cura asked, dumbfounded by the demon's behavior.

"Hmm...It might be nothing, but..."the demon sighed and sat on the rim of the bathtub. It was very quiet for a while, so quiet that Cura could hear the chatter and noise of the main hallway through the door. It amazed Cura how noisy this place was, yet inside the room it felt like a deserted island. The demon continued to be quiet, and, for lack of anything better to do, Cura shuffled his feet. That seemed to snap the demon out of his reverie. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's alright, I guess." Cura paused for a moment before adding, "Everyone has moments like those where they just space out. It's during those random moments that someone will think something's wrong with you and that person will just stare. Most likely thinking about committing you or, if they don't realize that you're alive, they might think you're a statue and steal you." Cura abruptly stopped and clamped a hand over him mouth, eyes very wide. He might've unknowingly offended the demon by saying too much. Nervously, he looked up and was surprised to find that the demon was smiling.

"If anyone thinks I'm a statue, then they must be the dumbest asshole in the whole universe. And I say that lightly." The demon paused before adding, "However, how can anyone argue with this beauty?"

Cura just looked at the demon for a moment before bursting out in laughter. the laughter surprised Cura, but for some reason he could not help it. He was going against all the manners and etiquette taught to him by Yubaba and Lin. However, what truly surprised, more so than his own laughter, was that the demon joined in. They sat there for what seemed like hours, just laughing. For some strange reason Cura was comfortable around the demon, despite the fact others seemed to fear him.

After a few moments the two of them pulled themselves together and the laughter faded away.

"S-sorry," Cura stuttered out, but this time the stutter wasn't from nerves. "D-didn't mean to make you laugh as well."

"No worries there." The demon had fallen off his seat while laughing and was currently laying on the floor face-up. He stretched out his arms and heaved a deep sigh. "That felt good. I haven't laughed like that in years."

Cura stood up and smiled at the demon. "I don't know what, but I feel as though I should know you from somewhere. Like I was friends with you a long time ago," he said, voicing his feelings for the first time.

The demon opened his mouth to respond but at that moment the spout for the mineral bathwater come down out of the wall. A little note was attached to the rope and Cura reached up and took it down. It read:

Sorry this came so late.

There was a backup of orders,

AND Yubaba wanted to observe its' preparation.

Kumagi

"Odd," Cura muttered to himself, pulling on the rope and releasing the water, which gushed into the bathtub steaming-hot. He folded up the note and went to tuck it into the folds of his shirt when it was snatched out of his hands. Through the steam of the bathwater Cura saw the demon reading Kumagi's note.

"Is that bitchy-witch always poking her nose into things she shouldn't?" the demon asked as he handed the note back to Cura.

"I honestly don't know. Lin complains that all Yubaba does is sit her butt up in the office while the workers slave away below." Cura tugged on the rope again and the water stopped. The tub was full to the brim and steamed gently. He took a deep breath and smelled roses. "Huh...roses must have been a key ingredient in this."

"Yeah..." The demon's voice was faint. Cura looked up and noticed the demon had gotten a far away look in his eyes, as though he was remembering something from a long time ago. Cura could not fight his reluctance to disturb the demon. he walked over and poked him in the side. The demon jumped high into the air and sent a glare at Cura.

Cura held his ground. "Get in the bath before the water gets cold."

The demon blinked once or twice before nodding and saying, "Sorry, but this place brings back memories...Good ones." He added as he took off his shirt revealing a well-sculpted torso.

Cura collected the clothing as the demon shed it. When all that remained on the demon were his undergarments, Cura took the clothes to a small cabinet in the corner and placed them on the top shelf. From the bottom shelf he pulled out some towels and a bathroom. Cura cut slits in the robe to accommodate the demon's wings. He folded the items over his arms and walked back to the tub where the demon was currently lounging.

"Here you go, these are for you," Cura said, placing them on the lip of the tub.

"Thanks." the demon, Cura observed, had taken out his high ponytail. His hair was floating in the water, giving the vague impression that the tub was full of it. That whish wasn't in the water was plastered to his upper body. The demon looked up and caught the worker's stare. "What?"

"Huh?" Cura started and looked up into the demon's eyes. He had been strongly reminded of the incident while filling the bucket earlier. By looking up the revere had snapped before he was able to remember what he couldn't.

"Why were you staring at the water like a poor, little, lost puppy?"

"Oh..." Cura rushed to make up something, anything. "Well, your hair is so long. Do you think you would like it trimmed or something? I can do that if you want."

The demon had an expression of obvious surprise. "Well...it has been a long time since I've had a haircut. what the hell? You get the shampoo and scissors. I'll let you do that much, at least."

Cura nodded and went through the door into the hallway. He went down the hall to a large storage compartment they had passed on the way to the bath. Upon nearing it he grabbed a step-stool because it was the only way he could reach the handles to open the door. Cura pulled open the heavy door and rummaged around inside for a while before pulling out a pair of sharp scissors, lilac-scented shampoo, a hair brush and a broom to clean up the hairs. He dropped the items tot eh floor, pushed the door shut, put back the step-stool and ran back to the demon's bath.

"Where's you run off to?" The demon asked when Cura walked into the room carrying the items.

"These items are put in a main storage unit. Workers have to leave the areas to go get them." Cura held out the lilac shampoo out to the demon. "Here. it's lilac scented but the best quality shampoo we have."

"Lilac, huh? How did you know that's my favorite flower?" the demon asked as he took the bottle.

"Is it?"

"Yeah, actually..." The demon poured about half the bottle into his hands and slowly worked it through his long, slightly tangled, mass of hair. He dunked his head under the water repeatedly to get rid of the extra suds, and emerged with all his hair in his face. Cura let out a small chuckle before the demon flipped his hair back.

"Here, put this on." Cura held up the robe so the demon could step into it.

The demon complied and slid his arms into the sleeves and wings through the slits. He knelt down so he could be more on the level with Cura. Cura moved behind the demon and began to brush out his hair.

He must not have had a hair cut in a very long time, Cura thought as he examined the severe split ends. "I'm going to have to lop off about 6 inches, ok?"

"Sure. My hair goes down to about my knees, anyway. It's not like 6 inches will make that big of a difference."

Cura roughly measured out 6 inches and began to cut. Little bit of hair fell to the floor, quickly followed by the large chunks. The entire cut did not take very long, nor was the job professional, but the result was dramatic. Instead of a mass of split ends, the hair had an almost liquid quality to it now.

The demon stood up and examined the cut ends. "Very nice. You did an excellent job." he flicked his hair behind his back. "I think that wraps up the bath for tonight. Could you get my clothes, please?"

Cura nodded and retrieved the demon's clothes. The demon quickly got dressed but didn't pull his hair back into the high ponytail. He must have sensed Cura's puzzlement because he said, "My hair is still wet. It takes an eternity to dry when it's pulled back." The demon clipped the waist coat and added, "Ok, time for you to take me to my room. But before we leave, I have a question for you. What's your name?"

"Cura. At least, that's what they call me here."

"Cura. I'll be sure to remember it."

"And what about you? May I ask what your name is?"

The demon smiled, the first true smile Cura had seen since he arrived at this place. "My name is Kuronue."


End file.
